Quality, Affordable, Accessible:
Workshops for Writers of All Genres
All workshops are through Yahoogroups and lessons are sent to you through email.
2010 One-Step Sign Up: Pay and register all at once! Just click the "Buy Now" button below your chose course to pay by Paypal Or click here to pay by check. |
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FEBRUARY CANCELED
4 weeks
2/1 - 2/26
$20/$25
WRITING AND SELLING YOUR ROMANCE NOVEL
Instructor: Jessica Barksdale Inclan
Registration deadline: 1/31/10
With 1.4 billion dollars in sales, 26.4 share of the market, and over 6,000 novels published every year, it's clear that the American public wants to read love stories. The other good news is that romances are fun to write. This course begins by identifying current key sub-genres and their particular requirements, including contemporary, paranormal, inspirational, comedic, mystery, erotic, and historical. We then consider what story you want to write and how to structure its plot, scenes, conflict, central characters, and most importantly, a believable romantic relationship. Short in-class writing exercises allow you to work on some of these important aspects, and you finish the day by learning about the marketplace and writing query letters. By the end of the class, you have a clear focus on the type of romance novel you are writing, a working outline, a couple of new scenes, and knowledge on how to move forward in writing and preparing your book for the marketplace.
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FEBRUARY
4 weeks
2/1 - 2/26
$20/$25
PASSION, HEAT & ECSTASY: WRITING THE EROTIC ROMANCE
Instructors: Carolina Valdez & Lyndi Lamont
Registration deadline: 1/31/10
Erotic romance! How do you capture the heat and passion of it? How do you build sensual tension between your main characters that explodes in sexual ecstasy? Join us for tips on this, including writing for readers of BDSM and GLBT stories, and learn what markets are open to submissions of erotic romance.
_____________________________________________________________________FEBRUARY CANCELED
4 weeks
2/1 - 2/26
$20/$25
Behind the Scenes
Instructor: Jacqui Jacoby
Registration deadline: 1/31/10
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MARCH
4 Weeks
3/1 - 3/26
$20/$25
MAKE'EM LAUGH, MAKE'EM CRY
Instructor: Lori Wilde
Registration Deadline: 2/28/10
We, as authors, are in the emotion delivery business. Honing your craft means learning how to evoke emotions. It means learning to use language to create a sleight of hand that causes your readers to respond on a gut level. It means getting in touch with what you feel, hope, or fear for every one of your main characters at every moment of the story. There’s no such thing as art by accident. Truly great writers are in charge of their readers’ emotion from the first page to the last.
Topics covered include:
1) Writer emotions versus Character emotions versus Reader emotions.
2) Emotional honesty.
3) Pumping up the emotional pay-off
4) Conflict and emotions
5) Change and emotions
6) Evoking emotional tension through subtext
7) Symbolism and emotion
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MARCH
4 Weeks
3/1 - 3/26
$20/$25
THE ART OF REWRITING
Instructor: Martha Engber
Registration Deadline: 2/28/10
While there's a plethora of information about how to write the first draft of an essay, short story or novel, clear and useful advice on how to rewrite and polish work for publication is much harder to come by. How long should a rewrite take? Do you address problems separately or together? What methods do successful writers employ? In workshop, you’ll get those answers while learning how to plan and implement a rewrite on a piece you’re currently working on. Through discussion and rewriting exercises, you’ll also learn:
• the three levels of editing
• how to break the job into manageable pieces
• how to estimate the time necessary for completion
• which rewriting strategy works best for you
• why rewriting can make you a better writer
MARCH
4 Weeks
3/1 - 3/26
$20/$25
A PERFECT ENDING
Instructor: Regan Black
Registration deadline: 2/28/10
Do you love your story, but struggle with weak, abrupt, or endless
endings? Regan Black, having learned the hard way, will use examples
from popular movies and specific exercises to help you create the
satisfying endings readers crave.
APRIL
4 weeks
4/5 - 4/30
$20/$25
SECRETS OF THE PROLIFIC: HOW TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION, PERFECTIONISM AND WRITER'S BLOCK
Instructor: Hillary Rettig
Registration deadline: 4/4/10
Secrets of the Prolific: How to Overcome Procrastination, Perfectionism and Writer’s Block will forever change your relationship with your writing. People suffering from procrastination or a block often think they’re lazy, undisciplined, or otherwise lacking, but they really
aren’t lacking at all: they are merely constrained from using their creativity and power. Liberate yourself from those constraints and you will see your energy, discipline, commitment, etc., “magically” reappear – and your writing take off! In this course we will examine, and learn to defuse, the most common constraints including self esteem
(confidence) deficits, resource deficits, and time deficits. We will also discuss the nature, causes and cures for perfectionism, and the negative impact that societal bias against writers, writing and certain genres in particular (including romance, of course!) can have on one’s
productivity.
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APRIL
4 weeks
4/5 - 4/30
$20/$25
BREATHING LIFE INTO A SCENE/GETTING YOUR STORY OFF TO THE RIGHT START
Instructor: Beth Cornelison
Registration deadline: 4/4/10
Breathing Life Into A Scene offers a step by step approach to layering vivid details about setting, emotion and character into each scene you write. Silhouette Romantic Suspense Beth Cornelison will show you how to select the right details and character-specific information to place your reader in the scene and make a powerful impression, without bogging down your pace.
Getting Your Story Off To The Right Start covers important elements needed to set up your characters, plot and pacing in order to hook the reader/editor from page one and avoid common mistakes that can bog down your story.
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APRIL
4 weeks
4/5 - 4/30
$20/$25
SKIPS, LIES & VIDEOTAPES
(How PIs Find the Missing, Nail the Fraudulent, and Obtain the Proof)
Instructors: Colleen Collins/Shaun Kaufman
Syllabus
Class 1: The Skips: Tracing Electronically
What's a Skip?
Steps of a Skip/Locate Request
Skiptracing: Researching the Web
Case Examples
Attachment: Gumshoe Glossary
Class 2: The Skips: Tracing on Foot
Skiptracing: Working the Streets
Skiptracing: Digging in Public Records
Case Examples
Class 3: The Fraudulent: From Black Market to White Collar
What Comprises Fraud?
Nailing the Fraudulent: Types of Investigations
Case Examples
Class 4: The Proof: Don't Leave Home Without It
Isn't Seeing Believing?
Venues for Obtaining Proof
Direct vs. Circumstantial Evidence
Types of Proof: From Photos to DNA
Class Conclusion
MAY
4 weeks
5/3 - 5/28
$20/$25
AIM HIGH, SHOOT STRAIGHT: SETTING AND REACHING YOUR WRITING GOALS
Instructor: Kara Lennox
Registration deadline: 5/2/10
If you want to write but you can't seem to get motivated or find the time, or if you're writing but not getting where you want to be in your career, if you're jumping from project to project without a clear focus, this workshop is for you. Veteran author Kara Lennox will present her plan for focusing in on what you really want from your writing career, then show you how to formulate concrete, achievable goals and develop a step-by-step plan for achieving them. She'll also show you how to form your own "dream team" and manage your time and your fears. Learn proven problem-solving techniques and tips for staying motivated. This is a workshop for serious writers who are committed to success--however you define success.
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MAY
4 weeks
5/3 - 5/28
$20/$25
MUSE THERAPY
Instructor: D.D. Scott
Registration deadline: 5/2/10
Muse Therapy is all about injecting life into tired and/or stressed out muses. Writers will get fun and fabulous tools to analyze their muses' funks, reign in their creative divas, and up their page counts.
Discover what makes muses tick. What ticks them off. And what makes them dance like nobody's watching.
We'll name your muses and host a very special meet-and-greet just for them, then dig deep into their psyches by examining "muse disorders" such as:
** Unleashing You Inner Sybil
** Writing Bi-Polar: I Suck vs. I'm a Genius
** What Do You Mean I'm Neurotic? No, I'm Not. Well, Not Exactly. But Okay...There Are Times When. Like You Need to Know That. Anyway, I Was Thinking, My Jeep Is Red
** Rorschach For Writers: I See Dead Lines
** Stimulants: When Coffee, Chocolate and Martinis Aren't Enough
Once we recognize, acknowledge and accept our muses' afflictions, we'll find terrific tricks and "trips" to treat our word witches.
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MAY
4 weeks
5/3 - 5/28
$20/$25
PROSE AND CONTESTS: EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING CONTESTS BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
Instructor: Amy Atwell
Registration deadline: 4/2/10
Overwhelmed by the number of writing contests out there? Unsure whether to enter? Unclear about why you should enter? This class is geared for unpublished writers seeking feedback and/or a chance to final in the hundreds of writing contests offered through RWA® chapters.
Contests offer opportunities for feedback from published authors, agents and editors. But contests cost money and valuable writing time. This interactive lecture format will include handouts, examples and open Q&A to help writers understand what they can expect to gain from entering a contest. The class will provide an overview of the contest process, sources for researching contests, help writers identify their motives for entering a contest, and even give tips on preparing your contest entry.
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JUNE
4 Weeks
6/7 - 7/2
$20/$25
PITCHING THE PRESS
Instructor: Louise Knott Ahern
Registration deadline: 6/6/10
Tired of sending press releases that get no response from the media? Are you ready to finally learn the secret of landing press coverage for your books? In this online class, award-winning journalist and PR coach Louise Knott Ahern will share insider tips on how to unravel the mysteries of working with the media. This class is way more than a series of lectures. Participants will be asked to select a real target media and write a real press release – all with Louise’s expert guidance and advice. If you’re tired of losing at the media game, join Louise for a fast-paced class designed to get you press coverage today!
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JUNE
4 Weeks
6/7 - 7/2
$20/$25
May The Force Be With You (Adding Realistic Law Enforcement & Legal System Elements Into Your Novel)
Instructor: Kerri Nelson
Registration deadline: 6/6/10
Who doesn't love a hot cop hero? Want to make his cop talk and attitude sound authentic? What about evidence collection or a courtroom scene? Need a little legal know how to make your book more exciting or suspenseful?
Kerri will use her experience and education in the legal field to show you how to sound like an expert when you add the legal system or law enforcement characters into your own novel.
Learn "cop talk", criminal evidence procedures, anatomy of a lawsuit, and more!
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JUNE
4 Weeks
6/7 - 7/2
$20/$25
Brick by Brick: Using Structure to Write and Revise
Instructor: Melissa Blue
Registration deadline: 6/6/10
Has writing or revising an entire novel ever felt like you were about to scale Mount Everest? The project too big, the problems too insurmountable? Well, the bad news is writing and revising a novel is never going to be easy. The process can be easier and less painful than banging your head on a wall. The structure of a scene and the structure of a novel can be used to not only create new material but to diagnose troublesome parts while revising.
What you'll learn during the workshop:
The overall goal for your character and/or of your story
Simple structure of a scene
Three Act Structure of a novel
Four Turning Points—points in a novel where the character changes
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JULY
4 Weeks
7/5 - 7/30
$20/$25
CELTIC KNOTWORK: WEAVING TOGETHER CHARACTERIZATION AND PLOTTING
Instructor: Pollyanna Williamson
Registration Dealine: 7/4/10
Learn how characterization and plotting weave together to make your story come alive.
Outline of lessons and discussion topics:
Characterization
1. Character profile questions and interviewing your characters
2. Creating backstory: when and to use it
3. Character is Action
4. GMC: Goal, motivation and conflict. This will also be discussed in the plot section.
5. Writing strong characters and viewpoint
6. Three Dimensional Characters
7. Writing sexual tension
Plot and Characterization and discussion topics:
1. What is Plot? What does it do?
2. Plot is Action
3. GMC: Goal, motivation and conflict
4. Stimulus and Response
5. No Sagging Middles
6. Scene and sequel
7. Plotting Methods
8. How character and plot work together. Examples will be given throughout the course and a list of resources will also be given.
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JULY
4 Weeks
7/5 - 7/30
$20/$25
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JULY
4 Weeks
7/5 - 7/3-0
$20/$25
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AUGUST
4 Weeks
8/2 - 8/27
$20/$25
DIALOGUE THAT DAZZLES
Instructor: Lori Wilde
Registration Deadline: 8/1/10
Dialogue that dazzles is about creating the most exciting, compelling conversations you’ve ever written. Stellar dialogue can make you story leap to life the way nothing else can. If you’ve gotten comments from editors and agents that your dialogue is trite or stilted or dull, we’ve got the cure for you.
This workshop is designed to teach you how to write fresh, natural dialogue that dazzles. You’ll learn new techniques for rewriting any lines of dialogue and improving them spectacularly. You’ll uncover secrets of incorporating these methods into your writing style. Learn how to make your dialogue stand out and dramatically increase your chances of selling your book!
Topics covered include:
1. What is great dialogue?
2. Using dialogue to breathe life into your characters
3. Creating expressive language
4. People rarely say what they mean--subtext
5. Subtext part 2
6. Structuring dialogue to match real conversations
7. Dusting your book with dazzling dialogue
8. And much more
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AUGUST
4 Weeks
8/2 - 8/27
$20/$25
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AUGUST
4 Weeks
8/2 - 8/27
$20/$25
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SEPTEMBER
4 Weeks
9/6 - 10/1
$20/$25
THE JOURNEY CYCLE
Instructor: Robin Matheson
Registration deadline: 9/5/10
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SEPTEMBER
4 Weeks
9/6 - 10/1
$20/$25
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SEPTEMBER
4 Weeks
9/6 - 10/1
$20/$25
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OCTOBER
4 Weeks
10/4 - 10/29
$20/$25
PLOTTING FROM THEME
Instructor: Lori Wilde
Registration deadline: 10/3/10
Theme will enrich a book faster than any other single element. Theme is a tool that drives a story on a deeper level. Think of theme as like the love in a marriage. It’s the core reason your story exists. Implications of theme colors and shapes everything in the story. It permeates character and the plot. Theme speculates on a possible truth. It is not an answer or law, but a supposition, a questioning, an exploration of potential.
This course seeks to teach you how to plot your story from the standpoint of theme first, story events second to produce a cohesive blueprint that will make building the backbone of your book easier.
Topics covered include:
1)The tyranny of theme.
2) Theme defined
3)Characters and Theme
4)Plot and Theme
5)Props, Symbols and Motifs
6)Closed themes versus open themes
7)Make your story sing through theme
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OCTOBER
4 Weeks
10/4 - 10/29
$20/$25
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OCTOBER
4 Weeks
10/4 - 10/29
$20/$25
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NOVEMBER
4 Weeks
11/2 - 11/26
$20/$25
STORY AEROBICS: SHAPING UP SAGGING MIDDLES
Instructor: Raquel Rodriguez
Registration deadline: 11/1/10
After a brilliant start, does your story slow down and loose it's sparkle? Do your characters run out of things to say? Too early in the story for a love scene, and you don't have a dead body to thrown in?
Learn how to confront these stumbling blocks that cause your problem scenes with a few simple steps and exercises. Learn to define the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the real situation. Recognize how your story choices can help strengthen motivation, or change the direction for more realistic conflicts. Learn how not to get stuck on minor characters or problematic scenes, and put your time into pages that will move your plot forward. Get to the heart of the difficulty and extrapolate the answer to get your scene flowing again to engage your reader.
Areas covered:
- Enhance your tension
- Up the stakes
- Add realistic conflict
- Cutting "deadwood" to move your story forward
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NOVEMBER
4 Weeks
11/2 - 11/26
$20/$25
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NOVEMBER
4 Weeks
11/2 - 11/26
$20/$25
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DECEMBER - NO CLASSES - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Should you have any questions concerning any workshops or need any type of assistance, please email us and we will contact you as soon as possible.